


Kings Of Con Drabble Challenge

by bubblegumclouds



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016), Kings of Con (Web Series), Supernatural RPF
Genre: Accidents, Adopted Children, Allergies, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Amino, Angels, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety medication abuse, Apologies, Arrogance, Bad Jokes, Bargaining, Betrayal, Bullying, Bunny Ears, Children, Coloring, Crossover, Crying, Cute, Dark, Deaf Character, Demons, Dirk Gently AU, Drabble Collection, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drunkenness, Easter, F/M, Favouritism, Fear, Fights, Fluff, Gen, Holidays, Hurt/Comfort, Imagination, Insecurity, Kindness, King Robert Bennett, Kings & Queens, Kings of Con, Kittens, Lack of Communication, Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Medication, Multi, Music, Neglect, Nerdiness, Other, Oxford, Partying, Pets, Polyamorous relationship, Polyamory, Roller Coasters, Servants, Sign Language, Sneezing, Song writing, Time Travel, University Students, Vomiting, falling over, happy endings, music vibrations, poor Rob, posh!Rich, royal au, theme park
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-11-15 18:48:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11237037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblegumclouds/pseuds/bubblegumclouds
Summary: These are 26 little Kings Of Con fics based on words starting with each letter of the alphabet. Some have ships, some don't. Each one is very different and some even have AU's! I did this on Amino but these have been edited and extended. Enjoy!





	1. A- Advert (free space)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy these! Join the Kings Of Con Amino!
> 
> Twitter- @cutierobandrich  
> Tumblr- @cutierobandrich

“Yo, Broheim!” Rich shouted across the room at Rob as he paraded towards his best friend, clearly with something important to say. His manner was very confident, well... more than usual. Rob took a breath in, preparing for some elaborate comment or idea from Rich.  
“I’ve already told you not to call me that.” Rob angrily muttered, his eyes rolling at the cheeriness of Rich. Con weekends were long and tiring, he only had just enough energy to keep his smile on in ops sometimes.

“Well... whatever anyway, guess who just got back from shooting a starring role in a smoothie advert?” Rich’s eyebrow raised and his lip curled up into a smirk.  
“Uh, I don’t know. Chip?” Rob sarcastically retorted as Chip’s head whipped round and his face beamed. Both men ignored him for the sake of conversation. Rich rolled his eyes overdramatically and shifted his weight on his feet.

“Me! You’re looking at the new face of GoGo Energy fruit smoothie, bobo.” Rich announced and gave Rob a gentle push on his shoulder to emphasise the point. Rob smiled as he rarely got to see Rich happy. The sarcasm never lasted when it was something work related as jobs were so hard to come by in the business they were in so they were to be celebrated when they did.

“Oh congrats man! When does it air?” Rob asked, eager to see the success of his best friend. They'd been in quite a slump recently, going from one con to the next so to get something new was refreshing.  
“I dunno, they said some time in the next few days. Apparently I get a text when it’s on!” Rich shrugged and Rob nodded, giving way for the rest of the room to congratulate him. Various cast members greeted the news with pats on his back and smiles at Rich's enthusiasm.

It was at a con the next week that Rich bounded into the green room, nearly knocking over Sue who shouted a few obscenities his way. Rich didn’t so much as glance back as he ripped the TV remote out of Kurt’s hand and flipped the channel. He couldn't keep still, nobody had this much energy on con weekend so most people understood what was going on.

“MY COMMERCIAL IS ON EVERYONE SHUSH.” Rich shouted and everyone slowly gathered around the TV while Rich frantically smashed the volume button to pieces trying to turn it up. This was a big moment for him, he hadn’t been in... well anything really in a while. Everyone’s eyes glued to the screen and the room went silent as the logo showed up. Then...

“Hello, I’m Matt Cochran and I’m here to tell you about GoGo’s new Energy fruit smoothie...” Matt’s obnoxious voice projected from the screen and his flawless abs were projected on it. The whole room slowly turned to look at Rich, his eyes still fixated on the screen but his expression had faded far, far away from excitement. As the short commercial ended, Rich shoved the remote aside, embarrassment radiating from his red tinted cheeks. He knew this was a part of the job but betrayed by someone he classed as a friend, well that wasn’t.

The room split off into little discussions, not wanting to emphasise the moment and extend Rich’s embarrassment. Rich turned away from the TV, discarding the remote on the food table and trying to disappear as much as possible. Rob placed a hand on his shoulder as he went to walk out of the room.  
“Hey man, there’ll be plenty of others.” Rob consoled but Rich just kept his head down as he nodded, not wanting to look on the bright side at that point. As Rich was about to step away from Rob, Matt strolled in.

“Hey guys, I think I was on one of those crappy adverts, anyone see it?” He asked, briefly looking up from his phone as he bit into his apple. The room went silent, nobody wanting to voice what happened. Rich walked up to him, not that Matt really noticed.  
“Congrats on the ad, man.” Rich said quietly as he clapped a hand on his shoulder. Matt furrowed his brows and widened his eyes as his friend left the room.

Everyone was staring at Matt, waiting to hear what he had to say on the matter.  
“What’s up with him?” Matt turned to Rob, confused as the rest of the guests rolled their eyes and turned away. By now they were used to Matt's uncivil behaviour, his disregard for others was to be expected.

“You stole Rich’s commercial, Matt. He was so excited about it and you stole it.” Rob said slightly bitterly, he hated seeing Rich sad and to watch the way his joy broke as Matt appeared hurt him a lot more than he showed. He tried not to let his anger and hate for Matt get him into trouble as if he fought with Matt then he would be out of his only stable job. It wasn't an easy job to be courteous to Matt though.

“Oh, well that’s business I guess. I’ll see him later.” Matt brushed off the comment, clearly not understanding how shitty this whole thing had been. He averted his gaze back to his twitter feed, becoming oblivious with the world around him again.  
“You’re such an asshole Matt.” Rob spat as he shoved into Matt and stormed out. Rob had no time for selfish jerks like Matt, they’d plagued his career for too long and he wasn’t about to let that happen to someone else too. He made his way to go and see Rich.

“Rich, can I come in?” Rob said as he knocked, his ear pressed to the door. He didn't want to interrupt if Rich needed a minute to himself.  
“Yeah, ‘s open.” Rich shouted back, sounding defeated. Rob hesitantly pushed the door open to see Rich perched on the edge of the bed. He sympathetically watched as Rich chewed on his lip. He silently sat down next to him.

“I know you’re here to give me all that ‘it’s part of the job’ and ‘they’ll be more’ crap so just to let you know that I know that so.” Rich sighed as he fiddled with his fingers, not looking up. Rob pressed his lips together before placing his palm on Rich’s bouncing knee.  
“I know but it was still shitty and, I’m sorry. I saw how excited you were about getting a job and I wished it had worked out for you man, I really do.” Rob was sincere and Rich appreciated that as he sent half a smile Rob’s way.

“Thanks but, it wasn’t really about that. It was just another reminder that I’m not good enough anymore you know? I’m being constantly replaced by younger, better looking actors and yeah, maybe there might be plenty more jobs but,” he paused to clear this throat and wipe a stray tear away, “who says it’s gonna be me that gets them.” Rich looked to Rob with teary eyes, clearly waiting for some type of answer. Instead Rob just looked at him, not knowing what could make this better. He couldn’t lie to Rich because all he was saying was true but he couldn’t confirm that because that wouldn’t help anyone. He decided to do something he needed to do, even if he might regret it later.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some folded up papers.

“Here, my agent gave me this yesterday.” Rob said quietly, handing them over to Rich. Rich’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at it, the paper folded and crumpled with scribbled highlighted text.  
“What’s this?” He asked as he thumbed over it all.

“It’s a starring role in a new TV series on The CW, my agent told me that it had only been offered to a handful of people but... I think you should go for it.” Rob smiled as he explained and Rich looked down at it in disbelief.  
“No, Rob I couldn’t-“ He tried to hand it back but Rob shook his head and interrupted.  
“You deserve the chance more.” He stated and Rich paused for a second as he thought.

Rob waited eagerly to see his reaction and wondered if he had given away the role he’d dreamed of. Either way, Rich needed it more than he did so it didn’t really matter. Rich hastily yanked Rob in for a hug, squeezing him tight and patting his back. Rob sucked in a breath and laughed as much as he could as he patted a hand on Rich’s back too.

“Thank you.” Rich whispered, emotion cracking his voice.  
“No problem but... you’re kind of hurting me here man.” Rob’s strained voice replied and Rich immediately let go and pulled away, muttering his apologies as they shared smiles.

A year later and everyone was gathered around the TV in the same con room, watching Richard Slate star in his own hit show. Rob was right there in the front row with his face almost in the screen as he watched his best friend gain millions of views and multiple awards.

“I’m proud of you bud.” He whispered to the screen as it faded to the end of another episode.


	2. B- Best Friends

"Hey dude, there you are!" Rich smiled to Rob as he begrudgingly walked up to check-in. Rob had disappeared when they got to the desk, mumbling about a toilet.  
"Hey, um a room under Janus." Rob sighed, it had been a long day and he was exhausted from travelling. He didn't mean to be rude to Rich but he just did not have the energy to chat. Rich just shot him a confused look that he never turned to see, and left it.  
"Okay, one double bed right?" The woman smiled, handing them two key cards and Rob sighed and rolled his eyes, pinching the top of his nose. He never minded when people thought him and Rich were a couple, it was just frustrating that they always got the wrong room.

"No, for fuck sa-,” Rob cut himself off with a deep sigh, knowing that swearing and getting abusive would only get him chucked out, “we're just best friends, two singles please." Rob huffed and the woman looked between them in shock at Rob's outburst. She moved her eyes just fast enough to catch Rich's face fall at the mention of friends and it was quite clear what was going on. She sent a shy smile of recognition towards Rich before she tried to find a room with two singles.

"God damn it, I've had a long ass flight and now I can't even get my own space. I just want something to go right today. Why do people always have to assume we're a couple, it's just so damn frustrating." Rob was babbling as he trudged up the stairs to their room behind Richard. He didn't see the tears rolling down Rich's face or the way his heart broke at the mention of couples. All Rob cared about was sleeping and the second they got into the room he flopped down on the bed, closing his eyes. Rich was thankful as that gave him time to slip into the bathroom and pull himself together.

He looked at himself in the mirror, shocked at what a mess he looked. His puffy eyes raw and his lip still quivering. He remembered when he'd fallen over yesterday and cut a deep wound into his face. The first person he called out for was Rob, he just expected him to be there to help. When he remembered he wasn't, Rich sank to the floor and cried. He leaned in to the mirror, inspecting the cut and how it was healing. Rob hadn't even noticed when they met up that morning, or if he did he just didn't care. Rich wasn't sure which was worse. 

He didn't think he had any tears left after yesterday but here he was, crying over the sink with a hand over his mouth to stop any noises from echoing. He knew it was weird to watch himself cry but he just couldn't tear his eyes away from how empty he looked. He opened the door once he managed to get the noises under control, he needed to look at Rob. He needed to know he was just there. It always calmed him when Rob was around because Rich knew he had him to himself, he wasn't out there going on dates while Rich broke his own heart posting pictures of them on instagram.

It only made it worse when he opened the door and saw Rob spread out, calmly sleeping. He was jealous, he wished he could be so calm, so serene. Being on the road with Rob a lot, he'd noticed the cute little things he did. The way his nose twitched randomly when he took a big breath in his sleep. The way his fingers had to be playing with his shirt fabric to calm down. The way he cuddles in to someones side when he's drunk and buries his curls in their neck to keep himself safe.

Rich slowly tiptoed out of the room, tears still pouring down his face as he knelt down next to Rob. He knew what he was doing was creepy and his friendship with Rob would probably be over if Rob were to squint an eye open, but feeling his rhythmic breaths on his face and watching the rise and fall of his chest made him feel like he was home. Rob always felt like home to him anyway. He wished he could draw, or paint, whenever he looked at Rob like this, close up he looked even more precious. Gently, he reached out and tucked a stray curl that had fallen onto Rob's face away, letting his fingers linger for a second too long.

A few more minutes of being next to Rob and he couldn't stand it anymore. Without a thought of what was going to happen, Rich let his sobs go as he climbed into bed and pulled Rob in, clinging onto him as he curled up next to him. Rob slowly began to wake up but once he heard Rich's sobs he was immediately startled. Rich never cried. Ever. Certainly not in front of Rob.  
"Rich, Rich oh my god what's wrong?" Rob was stern, he always got scared when Rich was upset. Rich was squirming to be as close to Rob as possible, needing that contact.

"Hold me Robbie, please I don't care just hold me." Rich was shouting a little, his cracking voice breaking up the sentence. Rob hesitantly pulled him in close with arms curled around his middle and Rich obliged. Rob wrapped him up as much as he could and squeezed him in, desperate to help pull him back together.  
"Hey, hey Rich what's going on? Is this something serious?" Rob asked, wondering what this sudden outburst was about. Rob placed a hand on the back of Rich's head while Rich buried his wet face into Rob's neck. Rich was just scrambling to hold on to Rob, terrified that if he didn't, he'd be gone.

"I love you Rob, I'm in love with you. I-I know you don't feel that way, I know but please just let me have this moment. I need it so badly, please." Rich was pulling on Rob's shirt in his balled up fist as he pleaded. All he wanted was to just have Rob and it had been so long of holding it in. He'd reached breaking point and nothing was stopping it now.

"Rich, Rich, shh okay. It's alright, hey look at me, look at me Rich." Rob whispered, trying to calm down the situation. Rich pulled away from the comfort of Rob's shoulder, knowing in his heart he'd lost Rob for good. Rob placed his hands on Rich's face, cupping it as he looked him in the eye.  
"Sweetheart, breathe okay?" Rob said quietly as he coaxed Rich into breathing deeply with him. Rich took big breaths, mirroring Rob as tears still fell. Rob caught them with a swipe of his thumb.

Once Rich was calmed down a little, he smiled. It wasn't a happy smile though, it was a 'oh my god what do we do now' smile. Rob knew what he wanted to do as he leant forward, gently pressing his lips to every tear that dribbled down Rich's cheek. Rich let out a choked sob at the action.  
"Shhh, shhh okay." Rob soothed as he pulled away, heartbroken at how upset Rich looked.

"Y-You said best friends?" Rich said, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.  
"You'll always be my best friend Rich, but that doesn't mean I can't love you too." Rob replied and Rich couldn't help but press a kiss to Rob's lips due to the overwhelming happiness of hearing Rob say 'I love you'.


	3. C- Crossover (Dirk Gently)

When a random box with buttons and times written all over it popped up on Chip’s bed unexpectedly, he was quite confused. It hadn’t been there when he left the room, yet here it was now he was back. He'd barely left the room for an hour. He walked closer, daring to inspect it and that's when he noticed a piece of paper placed over a few flashing lights. It read-

 

SORRY

WENT BAD

TRIED BUT SAME WAY

WROTE THIS LAST TIME

SHIT

DIRK GENTLY

 

Chip’s eyebrows furrowed, who was Dirk Gently? He figured it must be someone playing a prank on him, probably Rich. Well, there was one way to find out if it was him.

“Hey Rob!” Chip pressed the phone to his ear using his shoulder as he flicked switches and watched the pretty lights. Every time he pushed a button, something new would pop up and that amused him. He probably shouldn't have even touched it but it just looked too cool not to. He deeply regretted it when he pulled a lever and it started to quake, rocking the bedframe it was on.  
“What’s up Chip?” Rob sounded concerned, Chip never called him unless he was in trouble. He couldn't hear any immediate danger in the background though, and Chip sounded pretty relaxed.

“Has Rich left the room today?” Chip asked before dodging a flying spring. Yeah, that button wasn’t a good idea.  
“Nope, he’s been asleep today, why?” Rob was confused as to what the random beeps were about on the other end of the line.  
“Can you come over please?” Chip asked as he finally realised he really should not touch it again, it was clearly falling apart. Rob immediately dropped his stuff to the floor and began speed walking to Chip’s room, leaving the door to slam behind him with a harsh push.

“W-What’s wrong, I’m on my way.” Rob hurried as he ran through the corridors, his eyes scanning numbers and trying to look out for people so he wouldn't cause any trouble.   
“No rush, just found something a little... weird that’s all.” Chip said in his usual cheery voice. Rob wasn’t sure if he was being genuine or not but he knocked on the door anyway. It opened just as Chip shouted ‘LOOK OUT’. Rob ducked and just missed the flying... wait, what even was that?

“Chip, what the hell is going on?” Rob asked as he watched the machine on the bed send jolts of electricity flying everywhere and random bits of metal at the walls. Clearly this had been going on for at least a few minutes as the wall had scuff marks imprinted on the old fashioned wallpaper and the floor was more covered with machine parts than not.

“I-I don’t know, I found it and now well... I’m not going to lie it’s not looking good Rob.” Chip still managed to say it with a smile despite the fact he was cowering in a corner. Another part of a button flew at Rob’s face and he joined Chip, both of their faces screwed shut for when the machine blew.

What they weren’t prepared for was two men busting through the door, literally knocking it down as they ran towards the machine. Rob opened his eyes and neary screamed, expecting it to be the police or hotel staff asking why there was thumps on the wall every 2 seconds. What they didn't expect was two bizarrely dressed men who didn't even seem to notice they were there as they immediately started to mess with the machine.

“Who are you?!” Rob shouted, the two men ignored him as they hunched over the broken... whatever it was.  
“This is not good, this is very not good.” One of the men worriedly repeated to the other as he paced back and forth. Chip nudged Rob and smiled.  
“Hey that’s what I said!” Chip whispered cheerily as Rob rolled his eyes and attempted to get up without being hit by something.

“Yes I KNOW it’s broken Dirk, I can see that!” The other man responded as his shaking fingers began playing with wires. Rob tapped the one who wasn’t touching the machine on the shoulder, not daring to distract the one who was. His head whipped around and his eyes went wide.

“Who are you?” They both said in unison however Rob went with an angry tone whereas the other man went with more of a light confused one. They both paused for a second before the strange man jumped into a clearly prepared speech.

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Dirk Gently from Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency! This is my partner Todd, well he’s not my actual partner but he’s my sidekick, almost like a companion. An assistant is what I usually call him but, ow!” Dirk paused, something he said must have earned him a kick to the leg as he leant down and rubbed it, “that’s what happens so I try not to. Anyway we’re here to try and fix our time machine so if you’d kindly-“ Dirk was cut off from his speech by Rob.

“Do you ever stop talki- wait, time machine?!” Rob’s eyes went wide as he processed the drabble of words he’d been given. Dirk clearly didn’t understand he needed time to process that as he continued.  
“Yes time machine, of course time machine. Todd, are you getting anywhere with the broken time machine? This man seems very nervous. Are you okay?” Dirk said as his face came closer to Rob’s, his eyes opening wide to stare into Rob's like he was inspecting him. Rob stood still, his eyebrows furrowed, not wanting to move in case this weirdo headbutted him.  
“Of course he’s nervous Dirk, he’s not from our time you idiot.” Todd rolled his eyes and Dirk pulled back, placing a finger to his own lips in thought.

“Hey guys, what are you talking about?” Chip popped up behind Rob, making everyone jump. They all turned to glare at him evilly.  
“Jesus Chip, can you not?” Rob turned back to him, before Chip could respond however Dirk started up again.  
“Chip, huh? People from this time really do have weird names. Now can we please hurry up Todd, the cat shark is getting away.” Dirk began to shake Todd by his shoulders as he slapped Dirk’s hands away.

“What do you think I’m trying to do, make a sandwich?” Todd retorted sarcastically as finally the machine calmed down a little and the gears stopped flying everywhere. The buttons were still flashing though.  
“Well I am hungry.” Both Dirk and Chip said at the same time, then turned to look at each other. Rob looked between them, rolling his eyes. Of course the only person who was as innocent and happy as Chip would be someone from a different time.

“Right, Right okay. Stop. What is going on here? Shark cats and time machines. I-I’m confused and everyone’s talking at the same time and-“ Rob paused as he felt himself begin to panic. All eyes were on him as he tried to stutter his words out, clearly not okay with all that was going on. Everyone in the room fell silent as they watched Rob struggle trying to find his meds. He fished them out of his pocket and dropped them on the floor in his shaking hands. Todd picked them up, handing them back to him with a smile.

“Okay, Rob right?” Todd asked and Rob nodded as he downed a couple of pills. Todd saw Dirk go to open his mouth but quickly shut it after the glare Todd sent him, “we are from the past where there’s a weird time loop going on. This machine is a time machine but it can also swap souls if broken. That’s how a shark soul in a cats body works. Now we need to fix this to get back to our time, okay?” Todd explained carefully and slowly and Rob took a big breath, nodding.  
“Okay.” Rob replied and let them get back to work.

Both Rob and Chip watched with an interested glare as both of them worked to fix the time machine. Occasionally they’d be useful for passing back a lost spring or holding a button down. Finally, they thought it was fixed.

“Right, okay. We better go! Please don’t tell anyone about this?” Todd asked and both boys agreed.  
“Hey, and if you hear of me at any point, can you let me know what future people say about me? I want to know how loved I am.” Dirk said proudly and Chip eagerly replied yes to which Todd and Rob groaned at.  
“Well, farewell.” Dirk smiled as he flicked a switch. The room went bright as Todd and Dirk were sucked back through time.

They landed in the time they were from but what they didn’t expect was...

“AHH WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?” Rob screamed, the noise echoing around the metal walls.  
“Oh no...” Dirk's eyes went wide at the sight of Chip looking around, his eyes wide and Rob shaking, his eyes wide too but not in wonder.  
“Todd, we seem to have a problem.” Dirk said as they both stared at Rob and Chip.  
“I can see that, Dirk.” Todd replied through his gritted teeth.

“T-This wasn’t supposed to happen! Take us back!” Rob stuttered, his voice raising pitches with each word as he stomped his foot and tried to call for help.  
“I’m afraid we can’t do that right now. Looks like we’re going to have more assistants along with us Todd! Right now to find the cat shark we’re going to need to go back to the last...” Rob zoned out on whatever he was talking about as he began to panic again. He tried to get Chip over but Chip was too busy with Todd and Dirk discussing plans. He felt so lost and alone, he was deeply regretting ever checking up on Chip. Why did this always have to happen to him?

It was Todd that noticed Rob was freaking out again. He ran over, leaving Dirk to discuss the rest of the plan while Chip listened.  
“Rob, breathe. It’s okay.” Todd said, placing an arm on Rob’s shoulder as he smiled. Rob let out a shaky sigh and closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. Todd stayed with him, making sure he could actually breathe until he heard banging at the door.

All four boys gathered together, fists ready as four punks busted their way in screaming and rioting. Everything was being smashed up and Dirk was shouting that they could resolve this. That’s when Rob and Chip noticed...

“Osric?!” They both shouted as Osric froze in his spot and slowly turned to stare at them.

“Oh shit.”


	4. D- Dark!verse

“Do my horns look too dark? I feel like they look too dark? Did they change since yesterday?” Rob asked Rich as he spun different ways in the mirror. He was getting ready for a date tonight and Rich was helping him prepare, well more like giving out sarcastic comments.

“Relax. They look exactly the same as they have done ever since you were twelve you idiot.” Rich’s eyes flashed black as they did sometimes. Rich was a very short tempered guy which made him an easily defined demon at birth. His eyes flashed black every time he got angry, which was pretty much all the time around Rob's anxiousness. Rob had taken a little longer to define, his sweetness and smile had pushed his parents to believe more angel however in the end his wits and mind pushed the horns out and a demon emerged. Rob’s parents had been delighted.

“You’re absolutely sure she’s a demon right? You bring an angel back and I will lock your ass in purgatory for the rest of time.” Rich was sarcastic however Rob knew that wasn’t a joke, he'd heard the stories of teenager Rich and they weren't pretty.  
“She said she was.” Rob replied simply as he felt the itchy scratch on his arm. Demons communicated by carving the message into their skin and re-healing, only angels had the advantage of sending mind signals.

‘Ready at Black Lines’ was messily carved into his arm so Rob gathered up his transportation hole in a puff of black smoke and said goodbye to Rich.  
“Remember it, come on repeat it back to me.” Rich said, raising an eyebrow at Rob who rolled his eyes.  
“Angel’s stay away, demon’s can play.” Rob droned as he’d said it a million times before. It was a thing they used to say as kids and it kind of stuck, despite Rob cringing every time.

He was still sighing at his roommate's embarrassment when he disappeared from his flat and sprung up at the door of the restaurant. He sensed a few angels interfering with his energy and he cringed a little, hoping being around another demon would solve it.

“Table under Marney Bennett please?” Rob said as he entered the posh establishment. The walls were brick with no colour so they couldn't be accused of picking a side and the lights were low, angels halos emitting enough light for their tables. The suited waiter pointed him to a dimly lit booth towards the back of the room. He turned and began walking towards it until his blue eyes went wide as sitting there at his designated table with no horns and a glowing soul, was an angel. Rob stopped the waiter as he hurriedly turned back, fearing he'd messed it up.

“Y-You must be mistaken, that table?” Rob pointed to the one he suspected and the waiter nodded, not even having the courtesy to look at Rob as he was too busy.  
“Yes sir.” He replied, a painted smile on his face as he grabbed the menus for the demons behind him.

Rob sighed and raised his eyebrow as they caught eye contact. He walked over to her, a plethora of evil negative comments in his mind. She reached out and took his hand, immediately seeing his disapproving face.  
“I-I know I’m not what I said b-but please-“ She started speaking but Rob zoned out of her words, where she was touching him began to feel... strange.

Not a usual burning like it should, more... relaxing. The warmth and light of her being began infusing with his dark, concentrated emptiness which was NOT a good thing. He stared at their joined hands for a minute and he was so entranced by the feeling he didn’t see everyone around him start to move away and gasp.

“Y-You’re a half-breed?! Get out, get away!” One woman screamed as Rob looked up to see tables of shocked guests staring back. Their eyes were wide and one parent was shielding her child's eyes. Half breeds were seen as the worst of their kind, unlawful and unruly.

“I-I’m not?! I-I’m a full...” He reached up to his horns but couldn’t feel one there. His face contorted into panic, his confidence pouring away with each second. He looked back to see her face staring at his transformation happily.  
“What have you done to me?!” Rob screamed at Marney as she sent a satisfied smirk his way before disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving him alone and ashamed with all eyes on him.


	5. E- Easter

Con time at Easter was fun. All the cast would participate in joking Easter games and the karaoke costumes would also be Easter themed. This year however, things were a bit low on the ground, to be frank. Some guests hadn’t turned up to the weekend events claiming they 'had interviews', the karaoke costumes had been lost in suitcases and everyone was a bit down overall. They were all currently sitting in the green room, it wasn’t a light, happy place like it typically was. It was silent with everyone buried deep in their phones. That was until a little one came wandering in. Her curly brown hair sat neatly on her shoulders and her huge blue eyes were wide and curious.

The cast heard the door open but none of them looked up, used to people just wandering in and out due to various schedules.  
“Dada?” the little girl began grabbing at Rob’s leg as he looked down and his eyes widened. Her little fist was clasped on to any access fabric of his skinny jeans and she pulled it back and forth impatiently.

“Guys, who’s kid is this?” He asked, worrying about the fact that there's a child wandering around without any parents. They all looked up and shrugged, not really caring if the world was ending. Rob leant down to her level, smiling sweetly to calm her in case she was scared.

“Hello, who’s your dada little one?” He asked as he patted her head, her little curls bouncing with the motion. She just pointed to Rob’s face, her little finger inches away from his cheek.  
“Dada.” She said with no expression, clearly only recognising the word because Rob had said it, and Rob sighed as he had another scan around the room.

“Well, if you’ve gone missing then we’re not going to be any use wandering around so I guess you’ll have to stay here huh?” Rob said as the girl looked at him blankly, her wide eyes fixated on his face. He put away his phone in his pocket and lifted her up, sitting her on his knee and bouncing.

“How about we do some painting huh? Easter, you like Easter? I think we have some eggs and paint around here somewhere.” Rob put her on his hip and went rooting through the cupboards. He found some bunny colouring sheets and figured it would do. There was a circular table in the middle of the room so he sat her on his lap and placed the sheet in front of her with a crayon.

“Do you wanna draw? Look!” he pointed to the paper and she just stared at it blankly, clearly not amused. Her legs were kicking about on Rob's thighs and she was sucking on her fingers. Rob picked up the crayon and drew a little smiley face on the bunny.  
“See! Happy bunny!” He beamed, hoping it would make her laugh. Instead he saw the infamous toddler lip wobble and that's when the little girl started to cry. Rob turned her around in his lap and pouted.

“Oh no, please don’t cry. Oh god okay.” Rob tried to bounce her up and down but she just squirmed to get off. He gently let her to the floor and she toddled over to Rich in the same swaying baby walk. Occassionally she'd land on her hands and knees and Rob would panic that she would hurt herself and cry. All she did was push Rob's supportive hands away from her side and carry on walking.

Rich refused to acknowledge her there, pretending to be majorly engrossed in his Twitter feed. She pulled herself up Rich’s leg, using his pants as a climbing wall and sat herself onto his lap. Rob just watched her enthusiasm and determination to succeed and slightly envied that youthful optimism. Plus, that was about the only girl in the world who ever put that much effort into being close to Rich. She’d stopped crying so he wasn’t about to take her away any time soon.

She crawled up onto Rich’s chest as he tried to stay as still as possible despite her clumsiness and began playing with his hair in her little fingers. It looked quite painful actually but this was the most amusing thing Rob had seen all con. Rich kept a straight expression as he slid his eyes over the top of the phone screen and raised an eyebrow at Rob.

“...Dude.” He said and Rob sighed.

“But she-“ Rob started to make a case but quickly gave up.

“... Dude.” Rich repeated and Rob huffed.

“Fine, come on little one, Rich isn’t a good dada.” Rob sent a glare at Rich as he picked her up and she started crying. Her strong little limbs were flailing and dead set on hitting Rob as much as possible, Rob was sure she was going to be a fighter when she grew up.

“See look, now what you’ve done.” Rob snapped and Rich rolled his eyes. Rob began pacing with her trying to settle her down and keep her busy as the cast members filtered out of the green room, not happy with the activity and noise. Eventually it was just Rob and Rich left.

“Oh come on please stop crying. I don’t even know who’s kid you are.” Rob whined as he patted her back and Rich eventually snapped.  
“Oh my god, give her here. Christ, she’s driving me crazy.” Rich sighed as he got up and took her awkwardly from Rob. He really wasn’t good with children but he tried anyway. After a couple of minutes of being with Rich she began to calm down. She started to play with his hair again as he cringed and tried to pull away. She clearly didn't know how to do anything gently as she almost ripped out part of Rich's fringe. Rob began to laugh.

“Man this isn’t funny.” He said as Rob bit back whatever giggles tried to escape.  
“Kinda is though.” He replied sarcastically just to annoy Rich and Rich just stared angrily at him.  
Then the little girl began pointing at something behind Rich, everything immediately holting once her eyes fixed on the object.  
“Bunny! Bunny!” She began clapping bashfully and both boys looked wide eyed at each other.

“I am NOT.” Rich sternly demanded and Rob pouted with his little puppy dog face.  
“Come on! Give her what she wants!” Rob said as he picked up the ears, earning a delighted squeal from the girl. He began to move them side to side and make baby noises just to tease Rich.

“No.” He replied while he looked at her and she began to cry again, not liking the harshness behind Rich's tone.  
“Oh man, Rich!” Rob moaned as he almost could have kicked the man. For an adorable little kid, she sure had the most awful screaming cry.

“Fine, fine, okay! Calm down.” Rich gave in as he snatched the bunny ears rudely and put them on unwillingly. They were a little lopsided and one ear flopped down a bit but it was still pretty damn cute. She immediately stopped crying however Rob couldn’t stop crying. He was nearly doubled over laughing at Rich who kept an entirely straight face.

“This is NOT what I wanted my Easter to be."


	6. F- Favouritism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS  
> ***anxiety drug abuse, mentioned panic attacks, vomiting, a lot of angst and slight neglect***

“Baby, are you okay? Do you need anything?” Osric sympathetically whispered slowly while he crouched down to Chip who was lying dramatically on the green room sofa. He minutely shook his head, tugging his lip between his teeth. Recently Chip had been suffering a lot of strong panic attacks before and after his panels due to stress. His boyfriend's Rob and Osric had been taking care of him although Rob couldn't do as much as he was considerably busier. Chip had just suffered another one and the second he got off stage, Osric had been glued to his side while Rob just watched them both.

Rob couldn’t help but feel selfish at the fact that right now, he really needed support and badly. He fully understood how awful Chip had, had things recently but even when he was okay, all attention was always on him. To deal with this, Rob been using some... questionable methods to cope with his stress and sadness that weren’t healthy. Due to Chip’s panic attacks, nobody had even noticed.

“Rob, can you get me a bottle of water quick.” Osric almost ordered as Rob quickly grabbed one from the table, handing it back to them.

This had been going on for weeks now.

At first Rob was certain it was his own jealousy and insecurity that came with being in a polyamorous relationship. With his deep rooted anxiety problems, it was to be expected to a certain degree but he trusted his partners so it was all fine. Then he found out about the dates while he was out of town, the presents, the... sex. As much as he hated to say it, he felt like he was being pushed out gradually and painfully. He recognised he should say something but he couldn’t bring himself to complain about his two partners loving each other. Especially in such pushing times. He left the room as Osric was still calming Chip down to collect himself.

“You are being selfish Rob, go out there and help your boyfriends.” Rob angrily whispered to himself in the dirty mirror. His shaky palms were sweating as the pills stuck to them. He shoved more and more down his throat in an attempt to rebuild his strength. In reality, the meds were only making him more jittery and depressed. Once he'd got the last couple down, he relished the feeling of his raw throat and swirled some tap water around his mouth. Rob came back to the room to find Osric shouting at him.

“Where are you going Rob? We need you. Chip needs you.” Rob could hear the words Osric was saying but he couldn’t piece them together, it was all echoing and moving too fast to comprehend. It was Rich that noticed the shift in Rob's listening abilities, he knew something was wrong immediately. He ran over to Rob as he collapsed on a chair lifelessly but still somehow concious. Osric’s attention soon diverted back to Chip when Rob gave no response.

“Rob, Rob hey. Rob, can you hear me bud?” Rich said slowly as he put a hand on Rob’s face to check both his temperature and his bloodshot eyes. He could tell Rob wasn’t right in the way he kept blinking rapidly and the way his speech was slurred.

“Not’ereee, not i-in front of the-.” Rob slurred and hiccupped, his whole body jolting with the noise.

Rich lifted him up with an arm over his shoulders and dragged him out of the room into the bathroom. Before he could even sit Rob onto the lid of the grimy toilet, he flopped in front of it, throwing up todays concoctions of pills, to his disappointment. Rich saw the throthy substance in the toilet and recognised what had happened.

“You TOLD me you were off the meds, Rob. This is not how you deal with this.” Rich sighed hopelessly. He had been around Rob long enough to see him go through 3 of these phases, it was like he never learned how to deal with anything. Rich could never stay mad at Rob for long though, even more so when he was in pain so he leant down and rubbed Rob’s back in defeat. Rob took a moment between his vomit attacks to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and grimace at whatever he had smudged along his face. It was a moment of heavy breathing in the eery silence that really spooked Rich out, something bad was coming because if it wasn't, Rob would have made a joke by now or told Rich he was okay. He had done neither of those.

“Rich, they didn’t even remember my birthday.” Rob whispered and Rich’s heart broke. He’d only sent his card and present round, being told by Rob that he was sure they’d been planning a secret surprise for him.  
“What about the party you said was going to happen?” Rich asked quietly as he just wanted to pull his friend in for a hug.

“It never came.” Rob sighed as he began to cry.

He’d held all these emotions in and finally they were being let loose drug free. He leaned over and sobbed on Rich’s shoulder about how they didn’t love him anymore. How Osric had always favoured Chip over him and Rich just listened, wondering how he let it get this bad again. Rob was such a wonderful, sensitive soul and he was starting to wonder just how much his fellow castmates appreciated that.  
“Alright, listen. You need to talk this out with them okay?” Rich said as he brushed Rob’s curly hair away from his tinted red face.

“I can’t, Chip’s panic attacks are putting so much stress on us. It will all be okay once they’re under control I’m sure.” Rob spoke slowly, still feeling a little dizzy. He was sweating, his clothes staining a darker colour than the original one, and his whole body was shaking slightly.

“Let’s get you back into a decently temperatured room to start with.” Rich said as he helped Rob up with strong arms and a couple of hands on his waist for stabalisation. The two men paced slowly back into the green room. Osric was still bent over Chip, fanning him with piece of paper and acting like a worried dad. Rich gently placed Rob on the seat as everyone began to crowd around him.

“Rob, are you alright?” Kurt asked which was quickly followed by the same question coming from Jaden. Rob dismissed them all, telling them not to worry. It must have been all the commotion that brought Osric over eventually.

“What’s going on? Chip asked for a cuddle with us both 10 minutes ago and you left.” Osric said, clearly slightly hurt, and Rich couldn’t hold back.

“Screw. You.” Rich spat as he stood protectively next to Rob with a hand on his friend's shoulder.

 

“Rich don’t-“ Rob started breathlessly.

“Excuse me?!” Osric angrily replied.

 

“You heard me jackass. I said, screw you. I’m sorry Rob wasn’t there to cuddle your precious Chip the second he needed it but do you know why he wasn’t huh? Because he’s been having another drug episode. I sat with him, watching him throw up god knows how many pills and listening to him cry about how you don’t love him any more. You forgot his birthday Osric?! You forgot his birthday?! How could you?” Rich shouted loud enough for the building to hear and Rob just placed a hand on Rich’s arm.

“’m sorry. It needed to be said.” Rich whispered down to Rob who sent back a shy smile, recognising that his friend was just trying to help.

Osric stood there watching them both and how close they were, a tear rolling down his cheek.  
“I’m so sorry Robbie baby. Oh god I’m sorry, I never meant to do this I just was so focussed-“  
“On Chip, I know. You love him more Osric, I just wish you’d told me.” Rob interrupted and Osric knelt down to Rob's level, placing a hand on Rob’s twitching knee.

“I don’t love him any more than I love you okay. I am so sorry I didn’t notice but I just,” Osric paused as his voice cracked, “I know there are no excuses, I should have looked out for you too and I failed you. I’m sorry.” Osric apologised sincerely and Rob paused to think. He feared that things were just going to fall into the same habit again if he accepted the apology however he didn't have the guts in him to let them go. He loved them too much.

“I love you too.” Rob whispered, despite everything in him telling him not to. He was engulfed in a huge hug from Osric, his scent instantly making Rob feel at home and comforted.  
“I swear I’m going to make every second up to you okay. No more pills baby, no more hurt.” Osric promised as he pressed kisses all over Rob’s face. Rob let a wide grin and blush spread its way across his face as it had been a while since he had let himself feel any positive emotions.

Rob believed that they’d get their happy ending now. They certainly deserved it.


	7. G- Game Night

Convention life on the circuit was fun, yes, however things were hard to wind down from so every Saturday night they’d all gather for game night. Tonight was the best one, Cards Against Humanity.

“Right fellow disgusters and disgustees, tonight is my favourite.” Rich smirked as he placed the box on the floor of Rob’s hotel room. The action was met with a mixture of groans and cheers from Osric, Sue, Chip, Rob and Kurt. Rich sorted the cards and dealt them, smirking at brief glances of white cards.

“Okay, first card. Oooh an absolute classic! What are my parents hiding from me?” Immediately, everyone began searching through their cards. Occasionally laughing or gasping at certain ones until finally, they’d all picked.

“Okay, Rob, you first. What are your parents hiding from you?” Rich put on his game show voice as everyone’s eyes watched Rob eagerly.

“T-The blood of Christ.” Rob stuttered, he always cringed at how dark this game was. Everyone’s eyes widened and he earned a few slow claps.

“Nice one Bennett! Okay, Chip. What are your parents hiding from you?” Rich raised an eyebrow and pointed a fake microphone at him. His face was still a beaming smile as always.

“Hate.” Chip beamed and everyone groaned, rolling their eyes. Rich sighed.

“Look, Chip it’s a bad game. You’re meant to be offensive.” Rich explained and Chip frowned.

“But I never understand, games are supposed to be fun, correct? So why would you insult people in them. Isn’t that defeating the point?” Chip asked and the room just smiled at him politely before continuing.

“Alright let’s go to Sue,” Rich said in a cheery voice before muttering to himself, “because this isn’t going to be depressing at all.” He smiled sarcastically to her.

“Hope.” Sue shoved the card to the floor and everyone went quiet for a moment.

“Well, that could have been darker I guess. Osric, you’re up!” Rich was slightly loosing his enthusiasm.

“The feminist agenda.” Osric smirked and Rich could tell he was gearing up for a political speech.

“Okay, okay thanks Osric. I didn’t expect anything less from you.” Rich placed his head in his hands.

“Please, Kurt. Tell me you’ve got something.” He begged as he looked opposite him. Rich didn’t hold out much hope as Kurt didn’t really seem like the type to-

“Erotic balloon animals.” Kurt laughed as he placed down his card and the whole room was suddenly stilled.

“Holy shit dude! Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.” Rich leaned over and hi fived Kurt as they cheered.

“That is what decent competition looks like people! Now, for the masters card, are you ready?” Rich pronounced as he eyed all his opponents. He placed his card down, allowing a minute for it to soak in. The second it was read it was met by disgusted shouts and pillows to Rich’s face.

“Now THAT is a winning card ladies and gentlemen.” Rich smirked proudly at the horror he’d created.

“Fine, fine you win, man that’s just sick.” Rob cringed as Rich picked up everyone’s cards.

“That’s the aim of the game Bobo. Aim. Of. The. Game.” Rich punctuated each word with a pause as Rob just shook his head.

“Right, next round!”


	8. H- Holiday

Rob had a love hate relationship with holidays. Him and Rich went on quite a few during their relationship but with Rich’s fear of flying paired with Rob’s fear of everything else but that. Well, lets just say it made for quite a mess.

Rich had decided, despite his knowledge of Rob’s character, to start a fight on a crowded bus that took them to their hotel. It was only a short ride but they'd been waiting double the time it took to get there, on the bus. Rich had got very hot and very angry in a short space of time and no matter how much Rob calmed him down, his loud swearing and huge performance had gained them stares from all around the vehicle. Rob could feel that this was going to be bad and instead closed his eyes and prepared for the panic Rich was sure to bring him.

“I can’t believe you Rich, you know how public fighting makes me feel.” Rob was gasping for air after shoving past everyone in the aisle in a desperate attempt to escape the panic. Rich had been just as rude and noisy as Rob expected, and then some. Rich was still in his post fight anger, pacing back and forth and fidgeting to get all hs energy out.  
“Well that jackass shouldn’t have kept delaying us then, should he? He was in the wrong here.” Rich was seething, his voice getting louder so the guide could still hear him through the open door.

“Rich, for god sake stop it!” Rob screamed as he shoved a hand into Rich’s shoulder harshly. All the attention and the commotion had pushed him past his limit and he lashed out before sliding to the ground. Rob began to cry, loosing any composure he had as he curled up and prayed for it all to be over. That was when Rich put away his anger, cursing himself for doing this every time.  
“Rob, babe, I’m sorry. It’s okay, shh.” Rich sighed as he crouched down next to Rob. He always felt so guilty but part of him just never understood why Rob didn’t speak up. He’d tried his best to understand Rob’s anxiety but he still slipped up sometimes, even after all their years together. Rob sat next to him, still shaking from the attack he’d suffered.

They stayed in silence for a minute, needed the breathing space but Rob still relied on Rich to keep him grounded. His head was spinning with memories of the fight and how useless he felt but he knew it was over now and he did his best. Rich always came around to understand, he just needed a bit of time to remember.

“We need to go, we can’t keep people waiting.” Rob rushed as he quickly wiped his face and stumbled up to his feet. He knew he could be better before he got on but his anxiety would never let him rest.  
“Hey, woah okay just take a minute.” Rich said, he knew telling Rob to stay off the bus would make him more panicked so he just reminded Rob he still needed a minute to breathe.

“Okay, alright are you good?” Rich smiled slightly as he held Rob up a bit, his arms supporting Rob at his sides. Looking down at his boyfriend with his shaky legs and raw red eyes he promised he wouldn't ever do it again. He needed to try harder, it wasn't fair on Rob and Rich could never dream of being the one to hinder Rob's progression in his mental health. He'd been doing so well preparing for holiday and Rich had already freaked him out before they even started. As much as he deeply regretted it now, he made a note to remind himself of this at any other point.

“I’m o-okay.” Rob let out a big breath and Rich pressed a kiss to his cheek, the rough stubble strangely comforting Rob for a split second. Rob held on to Rich's shoulders and looked up, allowing himself to drown in the whiskey irises that looked back. Rob loved it when the sun enhanced Rich's eyes.  
“I really am sorry.” Rich whispered and Rob just leaned in to Rich as he peppered kisses on Rob’s stubbly skin in apology.  
“Lets enjoy our holiday, okay?” Rich smiled and Rob nodded, knowing that even though he could be a pain for Rob’s anxiety, Rich meant well.


	9. I- Imagination

Rich was always fascinated by the way Rob’s brain worked, the way he wrote songs or lines. The way he pitched album cover ideas and photoshoots. He just had such a strong imagination in a way that allowed him to express himself and his feelings.

Sometimes Rich would just sit and watch him as he wrote a song in the green room. He could never tell what the bigger picture was going to be as, until it gained more substance, it only made sense to Rob.

Sometimes he’d look up and ask the most benign, innocent question and Rich couldn’t help but wonder what he pictured in his head.

“Rich?” Rob would mutter into the quiet of the space. Rich had been watching him focus, his eyes fixated and his pencil slipping between his fingers gracefully.  
“How many clouds do you see in the sky per day?” Rob would ask (or a question to that effect) and Rich would pause. He hated it when he couldn’t give Rob an answer, he liked to think he could at least aid towards Rob’s talent.

“Hmm, eleven?” Rich would guess in an attempt to give an answer and this was Rich’s favourite part. The part that made him smile the most out of Rob’s whole process. He’d pause, completely letting his face freeze and his mouth would just part slightly. It wasn’t enough to usually be visible but Rich could tell when the burning red of Rob’s delicate lips left a gap. Then his brows would knit together, pulling in slightly as if he was confused or bewildered. He’d stay like that for a minute, Rich was never sure if Rob was aware of him (or anyone) at that moment. Then he’d come out of it and turn to Rich, a gleam lighting up his beautiful eyes and he’d smile.

“Thank you.” He’d say before going back to his earlier scribbling.

Every time it happened, Rich couldn’t help the grin that spread gently on his face as he averted his eyes back to his phone or the floor. It was one of those partner things that nobody else really noticed but Rich did and he was so thankful he did.

He made sure to always appreciate and nurture Rob’s talent because he knew Rob never would. There wasn’t a day when he didn’t absolutely capture Rich and wrap him around his little finger. Of course, Rich would never let on. Occasionally he’d mention ‘that thing you did, it was... good’ but Rob never knew the full extent of how much it enthralled Rich.

It had made such an impact that sometimes, Rich would find himself describing the stars in one word to himself in his head or taking a moment to think about the texture of the centre of the earth. All so that if Rob ever asked, he’d have a non guessed answer.

And you bet over the coming days whenever they went out for lunch Rich would look up to the sky. You bet that one week later when they were lying in bed about to turn out the light, Rich turned to Rob.

“Twenty seven.” He whispered slowly, the silence drawing more attention to the sound.

“What?” Rob whispered back, confused at why Rich would keep blurting out random words.

“Twenty seven, that’s the number of clouds someone sees in a day.” Rich whispered as he had Rob curled up close and neatly to his side.

Rob would never reply but Rich knew that he had the same beaming smile on his face. He loved it when Rich really listened and encouraged him.  
Yeah, Rich was just fascinated with Rob’s imagination.


	10. J- Jokes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the joke is lame but I can't insult Rob okay. It's not possible!

“Okay so Kurt, you’re taking over introducing me and Rob right?” Rich said as him and Rob were about to go up and Kurt nodded, shoving the last bit of cake into his mouth. Kurt pulled back the curtain to the screaming fans and Rich geared himself up, already thinking of comments to make. Kurt began to talk about their achievements, neither of them really liked that bit, it always felt a bit awkward as neither Rob nor Rich ever liked to brag about things. It was all going so well until a joke that hit a bit too close to home.

“Rich might be as lonely as an Easter egg on Christmas eve and Rob’s eyes may be the size of that Easter egg but you know them and you love them, it’s Rob and Rich.” Kurt introduced them as they were forced to step out. Rob's breath immediately hitched with hearing the offhand comment. His stomach started to sink as he realised how concious of his eyes he was going to be. Not just that, but he'd also be standing with a spotlght on him while hundreds of pictures were taken of them. He dragged himself as far behind Rich as possible, shielding himself from the initial onslaught of flashing cameras.

Rob had always been insecure about his eyes despite many people telling him he should love them. He knew they were big and he hated it immensely as it had always been an easy target when people picked on him. The joke seemed to seep right into Rob’s brain and once it stuck, it wouldn’t budge. 

Throughout the panel Rob was quiet to insure that the camera was never pointed on him. He didn’t want his eyes on the big screen if he could help it. Whenever he had a direct question, he would turn to the person asking it and never avert his eyes out to the crowd.

By the time they got off stage, Rich was baffled by Rob’s unusual lack of energy. Rich knew Rob loved to be on stage so for him to shy away was quite rare.  
“Okay Robbie, what’s up?” Rich asked, as he dragged Rob to an empty corridor. Rich leant against the wall, knowing he'd have to get comfy as Rob was usually quite stubborn. He'd never burden someone with his feelings if he could help it.

“N-Nothing, I’m fine.” Rob stuttered as he desperately averted eye contact at every available opportunity. Having Rich so close and looking directly at them just made Rob want to cover them with his hands and never let go.  
“That’s BS and we both know it. Spill.” Rich stated and Rob knew Rich wouldn’t let it slip, he never did. Rob waited, seeing how long the slience could go before Rich started getting inpatient, his foot tapping rhythmicly on the floor. Rob didn't want to come out with it straight away so he decided to rephrase and see what Rich thought.

“A-Are my eyes too big?” Rob whispered as he looked down, not wanting to really hear Rich's answer. To his surprise, Rich immediately recognised what had gone on.

“Kurt. Damn it. Listen Rob, you know he didn’t mean it. He’s a tough guy and he forgets not everyone can take as much as he can.” Rich explained, he was one of the only people in the cast that was in the middle. Not too emotional like Rob and Chip but not too tough like Kurt and Sue. His job was to either remind the tough ones to lower it or cheer up the emotional ones. He pretty much had to calm Rob's anxiety on the daily but he never minded, to him it was just the way Rob was.

“I know, I know. It’s just, you know how I get about my eyes.” Rob sighed, knowing that Kurt didn't mean it intentionally, and Rich smiled a little.  
“Alright bring it in Bobo. Come on.” Rich stretched his arms out and Rob denied. He loved doing this because it reminded him that Rich really loved him.  
“Come on, don't make me attack you Robbie, I'll do it.” Rich smiled, he knew Rob did this every time and it was a bit childish but then again, so were they. Rob giggled as he pouted and shuffled into Rich's awaiting arms just as Kurt walked past.

“Right, wait. Kurt!” Rich shouted as the hug pulled apart. Kurt took a bite of his sandwich as he walked over to them, his expression confused at why they were hugging in an empty corridor.  
“Can you tell Rob his eyes are perfectly fine please?” Rich said and Kurt just shook his head and shrugged as he looked at Rob's eyes.  
“Why am I saying that?” He asked suspiciously as he looked between the two boys. He wondered what on earth they were doing now.

“That joke you made, it hit a bit of a bad spot.” Rich said and he looked down. Straight away, he could tell Rob was getting upset at the mention of it by the way his eyes were watery and shining. Rich pulled him in to his side, allowing him to hide himself away as Kurt paused.  
“Oh, sorry man I didn’t know. There’s nothing wrong with your eyes.” Kurt said and Rich nodded, signalling they needed a minute as Kurt whispered a sorry and walked off.

“I’m sorry I-I just, it gets to me and I can’t help it.” Rob laughed a little at how ridiculous he felt crying over such a little joke. He wiped his eyes and shook his head.  
“That’s okay, being sensitive is alright.” Rich comforted as he held Rob for as long as he needed. Rich learned that Rob always needed to be the first one to let go.  
“Thank you.” Rob whispered as he collected himself together.  
“C’mon, lets go watch some TV.” Rich smiled as he placed a hand on Rob’s shoulder and they left for a night of comfort and binge watching.


	11. K- Kent O'Grady (Returns)

It was in the green room of San Fran con that the cast suddenly heard the shouts of Maury’s voice declaring something they all hoped wasn’t true.

“Kent O’Grady?! Is that you?”

Everyone looked with shocked eyes at each other and quickly made eyes for an exit plan. It was too late though as Kent came bursting into the room with that fake British accent. His body language just screamed arrogance as he paraded through the door.

“Hello... peasants.” He declared and his stance was very confident and cocky until he spotted Rob. They made eye contact for a solid few seconds, both aware of what the other knew. Rob wasn't sure if Kent remembered that this was the con Rob was at or if he assumed Rob would be gone but they both remembered the most important thing.

“Would you all excuse me a second, Robert, meet me outside?” He said in a slightly threatening tone, Rob wasn't intimidated as he had the upper hand. Rob just shrugged and followed him out, ready to bargain with him.  
“Rob please, you didn’t tell anybody, did you?” He asked and Rob had a slight little power trip looking at the desperate expression on Kent's face. His whole deameanor changed and it reminded Rob of just how fake some people were and how desperate they were to cling on to fame.  
“No, but that could change.” He was making it all up as he went along but he acted like he was confident and that was the key. Fake it 'til you make it. Which seemed very ironic in this situation. His statement and body language seemed to fool Kent who began to plead.

“I beg you Rob, I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t come clean. Please!” It was a little dramatic the way he gripped onto Rob’s clothes in his fist but that was just Kent all over. Rob rolled his eyes and lightly slapped Kent's hands away, doing a little acting of his own.  
“Hmm, okay. Only if you stop acting like you’re above us all and better than us.” Rob smirked, hoping he could bring him down a notch. He wasn't doing this to gain anything, he was trying to teach Kent a lesson and he hoped by forcing him to pretend, he would actually start to believe it. Kent thought for a second, weighing his options.

“Fine, it’s a deal.” He sighed regretfully, leaving Rob with a satisfied grin. It was going to be an eye opening weekend, that was for sure.


	12. L- Language

“Leia, stay where we can see you please love.” Rob called ahead to his and Rich’s little girl who was hopping along pavement slabs. Rob was always the protective parent, Rich was more of a ‘let her fall over Rob, she’ll learn the hard way’ kind of guy. Rob constantly had an eye on her and always kept her close. He was still recovering from his anxiety/OCD episode after she stepped out in the road when Rob turned to spot Rich. Rich was really good though, always reminding Rob that she was okay.

She stopped by the edge of the road like she'd been taught and Rob ran to catch up with her, his heart always picking up pace by this point. He still insisted on carrying her over the road and Rich just let him for his own comfort.

“Ah, fuck.” Rich shouted in surprise as he tripped over the curb and landed on his hands. Rob's heart damn near stopped at the sight of Rich on the floor.  
“Oh my god Rich are you okay love?” Rob bent down and helped Rich up, holding a hand under his armpit and inspecting how bad it was.

“Yeah, I’m good just a scrape on my hands that’s all.” Rich smiled as he brushed off the gravel from his palms and Rob breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if anything bad happened to Rich.  
“Us and roads don’t get on do we, huh little one?” Rich smiled as he booped Leia on the nose and watched her giggle.

“Daddy fell over, daddy said fuck.” She clapped happily and both boys eyes went wide at the realisation of what she’d heard.  
“Oh no no, Leia we don’t say that word sweetie.” Rob said as he shook his head dramatically to show her it was not a good thing at all. She didn’t seem to understand why it was so bad and proceeded to repeat it, giggling away to herself at the reaction it gauged.

“Oh my god what are we going to do?! We can’t take her anywhere like this!” Rob said as he glanced around, everyone was looking as Leia was still repeating it and clapping her little hands together.  
“Leia listen to me, do NOT say that word again. Do you hear me?” Rich was very stern and cold but kept it quiet enough so that he wouldn’t be judged by telling her off. Her lip began to wobble immediately and both boys knew what was coming but it was too late to stop it.

A loud cry erupted from her tiny little mouth as Rob frantically shushed her and pulled her in.   
“For god sake Rich look what you’ve done now.” Rob whispered angrily as he bounced Leia on his hip and wiped away her tears with a swipe of his thumb. Her soft, squishy little cheeks had turned bright red and her gorgeous blue eyes (she took after her dad with that one) were screwed shut.

“Don’t blame me with that crap Rob, I was just trying to sort it out before you got all panicky.” Rich replied and that set things off again. Turns out, Rich had been a little too loud in his reply and Leia stopped crying to listen.

“Daddy said crap.” She always found words she had never heard before amusing. This was another word they’d hoped she would never hear.  
“Oh boy.” They both sighed, this was going to be a tough one to explain to the grandparents.


	13. M- Music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to note- I am not deaf or HOH however I am learning sign language!

Rob had been signing autographs a lot which is why when he was called away for a lounge, he was thankful. It wasn't that he didn't like it, it was just his hands didn't. He shouted down the line that he would be back later and left with a wave.

“Okay what am I doing now?” He asked handler Beth as they walked through the bleak hotel corridors, their steps echoing on the slippery floor. He could never remember his schedule which was why eh was so glad they had handlers. Beth flicked through her clipboard papers, seeming very unamused and tired. Rob tried not to let things be too hard on her, at the end of the day they all had tiring days at cons, actors and fans alike. Sometimes it was difficult to put a smile on your face, especially when you don't necessarily have to.  
“Lounge.” She replied in a dreary tone and Rob was pleased with that. He loved lounges as they were just him a few fans chatting about his work and whatever they wanted to know. He usually played a song or two as well just for practice before the nights gig.

He arrived at the room and took a big breath, as great as lounges were sometimes they could tend to be a bit awkward at first. He liked to have a few thoughts in his head to start off with if he could. Rob stepped into the room and picked up his guitar from the corner. All eyes were on him as he sat down, shuffling and placing his guitar in his lap.  
“I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to start by playing a song, I find it helps to ease the tension.” Rob joked while he had his head down, he hoped nobody was objecting. The moment he began strumming on the guitar to check the tuning, he felt the whole room relax.

When he was satisfied with the strings, he started singing his song from the show. He always secretly hoped people would join in if it was something they knew as it helped him gauge who wanted to talk and who would prefer to be left alone. On the first line he noticed across the room there was a fan who needed an interpreter for what he was singing. He paused mid way through the start.

“Hi, excuse me for pointing but what’s your name?” He said sweetly and the poor girl’s eyes went wide with fear. She turned to the interpreter who signed Rob’s question. She fingerspelled out her name and the interpreter looked to Rob.  
“Rayne.” She replied. She was still nervous as to what was going on. Rob hated making people nervous so he tried to quickly phrase his words correctly.  
“If you don’t mind me asking this obvious question, are you deaf or hard of hearing?” He asked with a smile and the girl nodded after being told what Rob has said.

“Would you like to come and put your hand on the guitar? I read somewhere that vibration can help interpret music right?” He said, worrying that he’d got it completely wrong. When her eyes lit up half way through the sentence being signed, he figured he hadn’t. He had nerves that it would be weird or plain creepy but seeing how happy she looked, he realised that it was okay. He was in a room full of people who understood his good nature and that was always going to be a positive thing. Rob got up, holding his guitar with one hand and dragged his chair to the side with the other. He walked over and helped Rayne move her chair while the interpreter sat the other side of Rob so she was still visible.

“Okay, go ahead.” Rob smiled as he placed the guitar in his lap. He gently asked, then took her hand. He placed it on the bottom of the wood, playing a chord and looking to her to check if she could feel it. She nodded and signed what he assumed was ‘yes’ to him. He started playing, and he could see her face light up out of the corner of his eye. In his mind he knew this was the beauty of music, it was able to reach everyone.

After the lounge, she asked to pull Rob aside. He watched the way her hands moved so fast and admired the amazingness of sign language. Rayne thanked him for his kindness and things got a bit emotional. He knew that moments like that were why he did this and why he loved conventions. Being able to touch someone's heart through just helping them out was such an incredible thing to him. He vowed that day that he would always try and help, and he did.


	14. N- Never Again

The cast had decided that they were going to celebrate con season ending by going to a theme park, it was kind of a tradition by now. Rob wasn’t particularly thrilled with this choice as he had a phobia of rollercoasters that was about as big as the drop on the one he was in line for. His eyes followed the way the track creaked under the pressure of the carriages and the rust lining the bolts. His head started to swim with awful scenarios.

“You’ll be fine okay?” Osric pat him on the shoulder and Rob sent a very stern look back that just screamed 'are you serious'. It was the type of expression that conveyed feelings without any sound. Osric just paused, letting his eyebrows raise. They kept eye contact for a minute, knowing the other person was just doing it to be annoying.  
“Rob just chill oh my god, I swear, why the hell did Rich walk off.” Osric rolled his eyes as he huffed and crossed his arms. Rides were meant to be fun but Rob was like a leech clinging to Osric, determined to suck out all the excitement.

Rob nervously counted and by his judgement, they’d be on the next carriage. He began to get panicky and put a hand on Osric’s arm. Osric’s immediate instinct was to pull his hand away but he knew that if anything happened to Rob, Rich would kick his ass. He just willed the ride to hurry up already. Hopefully Rob would just be silent so he could forget about him and enjoy it.

As they were walking on, that’s when Rob’s chest got tighter and his eyes started to water. The blue of his irises got more intense, amplified by the anxious tears coating them.  
“I-I don’t think I can do this. I feel sick Osric, I need to leave.” He began to ramble as the bar automatically snapped down above their thighs. Rob’s knuckles turned white from gripping it as his eyes began to drip. It was all setting in now. Before, he had the option to leave but now he was trapped.

“I don’t wanna do this.” Rob turned to Osric who rolled his eyes. He never understood why Rob even bothered coming on these days. Rich was probably the one who dragged him along but he never got any enjoyment out of it.  
“You’re here and you’re doing this. Get a grip okay.” Osric tried to make it sound encouraging without any of his annoyed tone seeping through. Rob was too panicky and jumpy to care about any undertones of voices as any time the music of the park paused, he started sweating.

Finally the countdown to launch made it’s way through the tinny speaker by Rob’s ear and he screwed his eyes shut as they set off. The first part wasn’t so bad, Rob just kept his eyes shut and his mind elsewhere. The turns and jolts were making his stomach ache though and his head was spinning. He cursed the fact it was slightly windy too as the air whipped past him so fast he felt like he couldn't inhale any of it.

It was when the ride began to slow that the real heart racing stuff kicked in. Rob knew what was coming, this was the drop and he was more scared to keep his eyes shut than open. He feared that not knowing it was going to happen would give him a heart attack. They paused on the edge and Rob couldn’t breathe. The ride jolted when it came to a stop and the groans of the track were all that could be heard.

“O-Os, no no.” He was gasping as he reached over to grip onto Osric’s shirt. He was so shaky and panicked that in his haste he actually ripped into the fabric. Osric looked down at the frayed edges once he felt cool air hitting his skin where it shouldn't be.  
“ _Dude_ , man this was a nice shirt,” he muttered as he reached over and gripped Rob’s hand. He’d done this plenty of times before so he knew when the drop was coming, “okay okay, 10 seconds now just breathe.” He reminded and Rob took a huge gasping breath as he tried to regain any oxygen his squeezing lungs had ejected.

He counted down from 5 in his head and actually let a few tears spill.  
3...  
2...  
1...

 

They, agonisingly slowly, tipped over the edge before plummeting to the ground. Rob could feel the contents of his stomach ejecting as he forced it in. His head was spinning, racing and whirling faster than the wheels on the track. His heart could barely survive on the sharp inhales Rob was giving it. Rob could see specks of white flashing through his vision until finally it stopped and the jolt throwing them forward, signalled their end.

The bar rose up and Rob scrambled to get out, he knew he only had a few crucial dry seconds. He raced off, not stopping to answer Osric’s shouts and he landed in Rich’s arms at the exit gate. He kept his hand plastered over his mouth but it was no use now he was on steady turf.

He couldn’t keep it any longer and everything came out... all over Rich’s jeans. The cast laughed and applauded as they watched the scene take place but Rob really didn’t feel in the mood. His stomach was almost as unhappy with the ride as Rob had been. Rob placed a flat palm against his heated skin, turning slightly so if anything else came out, he would avoid Rich.  
“Woah, woah, okay you alright? They told me you went on with Osric and I had no idea I’m so sorry. Woah hey, look at me.” Rich said sincerely and Rob looked up, his body swaying and his stomach churning.

“Never. Again.” He growled roughly as his throat scratched. Before heaving up another load of candy floss and hotdogs to the floor while Rich grimaced.


	15. O- Oxford (free space)

“Eurgh, look at those dirty children. Did their parents never teach them respect?” Rich huffed to his friend Chip while he chewed on his smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches.  
“I know, so foolish.” Chip sighed as they sat at underneath an oak tree on the neatly trimmed grass. They liked to sit in the warm air in summer so they’d allocated a prime spot out on Oxford's front yard. This way, they could watch all the people poorer and less intelligent than them pretend they had decent lives in the university opposite. They spent their day critisising and picking on the students they could see, knowing very well how much better their reputation was.

Meanwhile Rob and his friend Osric were sitting at a wooden bench placed on the pavement outside their school. He always hated where they had positioned the school as Rob was desperate to get into Oxford. He had worked tirelessly to get his grades but in the end, money wouldn’t allow it. His parents thought getting the closest thing they could to it would help him however it just rubbed salt into his wounds. Rob pushed his thick rimmed glasses up on his sweaty nose.

Despite the fact he went to a rowdy university, he would not show it. He kept his uniform on proudly unlike others who used the ties as headbands and blazers as... god knows what. One thing that hurt Rob the most was having to look over at all the rich students of Oxford and see them looking down on him. He always seemed to hear the same people at lunch talking about how unruly and disrespectful they were.

“Rob, you comin’ to the crashout on the Oxford lawn tonight?” Osric elbowed him, making him lose his composure slightly as his glasses tipped. Rob’s shaking hands rushed to fix them.  
“Oh, w-what um no. Crashing, it’s... um it’s not really my thing, you know?” Rob shrugged as he looked over knowing that this ‘sleepover’ on their ground was going to make them even more hateful towards his fellow students.

“Come with us, I promise first sign of trouble and we’ll be out and tucked up in bed before they even turn a light on.” Osric whispered to him and Rob sighed. He didn’t want to do it but Osric was part of the ‘cool crowd’ and it might stop them teasing him a bit if he showed up. Once they saw him, he could leave and they wouldn’t notice. Rob hesitantly agreed and listened to the details.

It was now 10pm and so far the get together had been quite pleasant. Nobody had told them off and there were drinks but nobody was too rowdy. Rob knew that was going to change soon however as he’d overheard Serge and his friends would be here in a couple of minutes.  
“Osric, Osric?” He began to tug on Osric’s arm from where they were sat, Rob with a coke and Osric with a beer. He was currently talking to some member of his music class but he excused himself.

“’sup Robbo.” He said as he booped Rob’s nose. Rob sighed as he always did this, got drunk and expected Rob to be there to look after him.  
“I want to go.” Rob whispered as he could already see the lights going on in the corridors across the road while Serge’s friends made their way out. He started chewing on his nails nervously, his anxiety flaring up his nervous habit.  
“A’right, I’ll see ya later maaan.” Osric hiccupped before turning back around. Rob put a hand on his muscled arm.  
“You said you’d be coming with me?” Rob angrily whispered but it was too late.

A blaring speaker on the shoulders of a punk was blasting music as loud as possible. A rabble of teens came parading across the road towards them, all shouting ‘wassup’ to various members of their ‘squad’. Osric was already up and bro hugging all of them so Rob knew there was no backing out now. He looked down at his feet and saw beer bottles littered around them. _That’s_ how Osric was so wasted already.

“Let’s crank this music UP and get this started!” One of the rabble declared to which everyone but Rob cheered and raised a drink to. Rob scooted further back, coke in hand while everybody was jumping to the music. He listened to the conversations and observed the way people acted when they were drunk. The overacted kindness and the, way too friendly, hugs. The air was thick but, for once, Rob was slightly calmer. Usually Osric dragged him in to the mess but he was way too busy now. Rob decided to have a little wander around considering this was the closest he was ever going to get to being in Oxford University.

Rich was awoken by Chip shaking him frantically, his four poster bed rocking on his persian rug with the force.  
“Richard, RICHARD.” Chip whispered and Rich’s eyes slowly blinked open.  
“What do you need me for at this ridiculous hour?” Rich replied angrily, not happy about Chip disrupting his planned sleep schedule. He was approaching mock exam season soon so his health was a key part in getting the grades he needed.

“Someone’s having a party on the lawn.” Chip pointed towards the front and that shot Rich awake. He hurriedly rushed on his shoes and brushed himself off as he stood up. His mother would have a fit if she heard he was going out in his cashmere pajamas with the possibility of getting them dirty, but Rich was on a mission.  
“Not anymore Chip, not on my exam season.” Rich replied angrily as he stomped out of his room and into the halls. He could get a cold from stepping out so unprepared but they disrupted his sleep and they were going to pay. He lead the way, storming ahead as Chip followed faithfully. He saw the offenders dancing and blasting the most awful assortment of words that Rich had ever heard in his life.

“Stop this right now.” Rich shouted, stomping his foot and attempting to be louder than the speakers. Once he realised that nobody was listening, he leant over and turned it off. There was a symphonised groan from the gathered crowd. They all looked over to Rich, unamused and waiting for an answer as to why it had stopped.

“Get off this property and go and have your grimy party somewhere else or I shall call the police this instant.” Rich declared and everyone rolled their eyes, they had been expecting to at least get another hour. One of the group leaned over and ruffled Rich’s hair.  
“Alright, granddad.” He drunkenly slurred as he hiccupped and then proceeded to eject his stomach on the space next to Chip. That was the last straw for Rich who was seething at this disgusting behaviour.

“GET OFF.” He screamed as everyone began to leave, one by one they all stuck their middle finger up at him and kicked cans in his direction. Rich huffed as he paced back inside mumbling to himself every bad word he could think of to say about them.

He wasn’t paying attention and apparently neither was somebody else as when he got to the steps leading up to the fountain at the entrance, he felt someone collide with his shoulder.  
“O-Oh man I am so sorry.” Rob stuttered as he found himself face to face with someone he had never seen before. His glasses fell to the floor in the impact as he paused in panic. He had desperately asked his mum if she could go back and alter the frames so they actually fit but she had a lot of bills to pay that month. Rob had just had to deal with them constantly slipping off his face with a breath of wind.

“You’re another one of that rowdy lot aren’t you? Disgusting, vile creatures.” Rich spat as Rob fell to his knees looking for his glasses. Although he couldn't see his frames, he found them when on the last word, Rich stomped his foot down on them. The glass shattered and the frame cracked as Rich and Chip smirked to each other.

“No no no, oh no please “ Rob began to pick pieces up in his shaking fingers in an attempt to piece things back together. These had taken him and his family months to save for despite them being necessary to see. Before that he’d been using the most powerful ones the pound shop could provide. He hissed as he began to cut his hands open on the sharp edges and that’s when he began to cry.

“No, oh man. Mum’s going to kill me. H-How am I going to pay tuition oh my god. It’s over.” He began rambling to himself as he ignored the bleeding in an attempt to collect all the scattered parts. He could find some glue to put it all back if he just had everything. Once he realised it was pointless he gave up, hearing the laughter of the Oxford kids behind him as they left him in the cold.

 

After that, Rob had fallen short of cash, he’d tried to fix what was left of his glasses but all he’d gotten was splinters and cuts. He used his tuition money to buy a new pair and managed to study for a few more months before inevitably running out. He had to leave without his degree and with no options left.

“I’m a failure, such a failure.” He cried to himself as he sat on the same lawn that had cost him his glasses. He placed himself under an oak tree until his parents came to pick him up. He wanted to look at everything he could have had for as long as possible before being thrown into reality. Here he could pretend that any minute now he had classes starting. He wiped the few tear away, needing to prepare himself to be strong for his parents.

He got out a sketchbook and began to write the essay he should have been writing, he figured he may as well. He was about half way through when he was tapped on the shoulder.  
“Excuse me, this is our- ah, you again.” Rob looked up into the same pair of eyes he had before except this time he was more visible.  
“This is our lunch spot.” Said another guy that Rob hadn’t seen before but he noticed the voice. Rob scrambled to get up, grabbing onto his glasses as he stood. He could not afford any more slip ups.

“New glasses I see huh?” Rich smirked as he began to back Rob into the tree, his posture straight and his head held high.  
“P-Please I’ll get out of your way, j-just let me leave.” Rob said as he tried to get away but was stopped by a barricade of the two boys. In the surprise of them not moving but instead him walking into them, he dropped his notebook, pages of the essay falling open.

“Look what we have here, let me guess. Is it the alphabet you’re learning?” Rich smirked as he picked the book up and began to read it. He opened his mouth, fully ready to begin detailing the words out loud in a mocking voice but once he began to read he quickly became marvelled at the intelligence.  
“Y-You didn’t write this?” Rich said in disbelief, his brows furrowed and Rob nodded, fearing words would get all his effort torn apart worse than his glasses.  
“This is, actually... good, well amazing by our standard. H-How?” Rich flicked through the rest of it, confusion painting his face.

“I-I wanted to get in here but my family, we don’t have any money.” Rob whispered as he looked down and swallowed thickly. He was always so embarrassed, fearing people would mock him or hurt him for it.  
“Y-You must be on an A* with this?” Rich said as he turned to look at Rob, he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it all.  
“I was... today was my last day since you...” Rob trailed off, not wanting to anger Rich and repeat the events he was referencing, “did what you, um, did I had to pay for new glasses and well, bye bye tuition fund.” Rob joked a little as he always did. That was his only way of coming across nice when he got into scary situations that made him panic.

“I-I-“ Rich was going to say something but was interrupted by Rob’s phone going off.

“M-My ride home i-is here so may I?” Rob asked as he slipped the book from Rich’s hands and placed his bag on his shoulder before running off. He left behind a dazed Rich and Chip.

 

A few weeks later and Rob was struggling, his family could barely make ends meet and Rob couldn’t get a job for the life of him. Bills and eurgent loan repayments were flying through the letterbox faster than he could count. His mother tried hard to disguise it, always attempting to shred the letters before Rob came down for breakfast, but Rob knew. He'd actually started going down early to pick up the post, hoping if he knew how much they needed he could somehow get it.

It was on one morning that he received the letter that changed his life. He stepped into the kitchen and picked up the post early, flicking through it he noticed something for him. Lettrs never had his name on so immediately he knew something was going on. He began to panic wondering if he had left over debts from university as he tore it open, tears welling in his bright blue eyes. He unfolded the letter, squinting to somehow protect him from the contents even though it wasn't possible. That’s when he got the shock.

“Dear Mr. Bennett,

Your interview for your application at Oxford University has been scheduled. Please find the details attached.

Highest regards,

The staff at Oxford University of London.”

Rob was confused, he never put in an application. He knew he would never in a million years be able to pay it all off, it cost more than his house. He flicked over to the other page and began reading the details, wondering if the person it was actually meant for was written somewhere. It all sounded normal until he got to the bank details of the tuition fund. It wasn’t his or anyone he knew. He was about to shrug it off as a cruel mistake and hope that the real Oxford applicant would somehow be notified another way but the tears spilled when he saw the added on note at the bottom.

‘Sorry for breaking your glasses, I hope my payment of your tuition fees cover the mess I put you in. I also hope we can get a better introduction when you join us next year.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Slate.’


	16. P- Pets

“Hey Steve, how you doing?” Rob greeted as Stephen led him through the door and into his apartment. Rob usually came to discuss band issues with Stephen as he was usually doing, or at least involved with, post production of their albums. Plus, Rob loved the open, modern feel of Stephen's little apartment. He lived alone so it was quite a small creative little place he had made for himself. Framed band achievements were hung on the walls along with various instruments and signed items Stephen regularly collected.

“Good, songs are mixed and ready on the laptop if you wanna listen.” Stephen pointed to the middle of the room by the couch and Rob walked over, noticing an addition to the house.

“Dude, you got a CAT?!” Rob shouted excitedly as he started to play with the little bundle of fur sitting in his spot. His black jeans were already being coated in fur but the little guy was just too adorable to not touch.  
“Oh, yeah I forgot to mention. That’s Lucky. I didn’t so much as GET him, I mean, I found him really. Or rather, he found me.” Stephen explained as he brought in two ice cold beers from the fridge, Rob's favourite.

“Aw man, he’s so cute!” Rob said as he tickled the kittens white and brown tummy, making unintelligible noises and cooing. Stephen could tell that any serious musical conversation they were going to have was now lost. He set the beers down on the table as Rob picked Lucky up in his arms. Rob never really had pets unless fish counted so he was besotted with the cat straight away. The way his little arms and legs wriggled around and his tiny mouth playfully bit at Rob's knuckles.

Stephen sighed but really deep down, he was just jealous that Lucky seemed to like Rob more than him. He was usually a pretty tough guy when it came to feelings but Lucky had created a tiny paw shaped soft spot on his heart. He reached over to Rob's arms, pouting.  
“Alright, alright, enough of the kitten. I need to know about this song.” Stephen said as he gathered up Lucky and practically dragged him away from Rob. Of course, Stephen was allowed to hold him and stroke him just because Lucky was his. Not because he didn't want him getting too attached to Rob at all... nope.

They managed to get a solid few changes in the vocals before Rob’s eyes started to itch and water a little. He thought it was a bit weird, hayfever season had passed but Stephen had a window open so he shrugged it off.

A couple of minutes later and his nose started to run as he sniffled.  
“Do you have any flowers in here? I think something’s messing with my hayfever.” Rob asked and Stephen looked around before shaking his head. Keeping a cat required too much effort to even think about keeping anything else alive.  
“Maybe it’s the window, I’ll close it.” Stephen said as he leaned across and pulled it shut.

“Y-Yeahhh _-heh-kshuu!_ ” Rob sneezed into his palm as he averted his head away from Stephen and the laptop. A shiver ran down his spine at the unexpected action.  
“Bless you, want me to get you some meds?” Stephen asked and Rob shook his head, determined to get this song mastered. His sneezing would probably clear up in a minute anyway and they wouldn't be working too long now.

“I’ll be f-fi- _Hiih’Nkxshh!_ ” Rob sneezed again, his breath hitching.  
“Not to go out on a limb here, but I think you miiight have a cat allergy.” Stephen suggested and Rob sighed at the idea. Of course he had to be allergic to the cutest, most irresistable things.

“Eurgh, I guess you’re right. Lucky isn’t very Lucky for me is he.” Rob sarcastically groaned before his breath began to hitch again.


	17. Q- Queen

“Robert, how would you like your caviar?” Robert’s butler Richard asked professionally as Robert sat on his throne. Robert Patrick Bennett the fifth was the 46 year old King of England and, to be honest, not proud of the title. He knew how to behave but sometimes he just wished he could be a normal civilian. The whole 'passed down and inherited' thing wasn't his style, he preferred choice over inheritance. He was aware that he shouldn't complain however being a king wasn't all that everyone appeared to think it was.

“Not right now, thank you Richard. I’m too nervous. You may have it.” Robert offered as he smiled sweetly. He knew the butlers got very little to live on and that really affected him as most of them were dear friends, Richard specifically. He tried desperately to keep it out of his mind as him and Richard had known each other since they could remember. Their friendship was the envy of the castle. He'd tried to pass many laws to grant butlers more rights however none of them got through.

“Are you sure sir? That’s very generous of you.” Richard swallowed thickly knowing if he took this without making absolutely sure he’d been given it, he would be executed. Robert sensed Richard’s fear from his uneasy smile and his fearful expression. He wished they could be children again, then Robert never had to worry about Richard being scared of him. Now, Richard had grown into a delightful man and very trusted servant, but Robert wanted their connection back.

“I am certain Richard. I am just too nervous about our ceremony today, I couldn’t possibly.” Robert stated as he placed a hand on top of Richard’s with a shy smile. Richard nodded and handed over the platter to one of the servants, he was lucky if he even saw a morsel of that food as despite him being the king’s head butler, he had about the same authority as the rats in the basement. He never bothered the king with that fact as he'd been told to stop making Robert worry about him a long time ago. Profession over personal, he'd been reminded.

“Why there is no need to be nervous sir, you are going to be able to have your pick of a marvellous queen. Nearly every woman in the land is attending.” Richard comforted trying hard to plaster a smile on. Robert stood up while Richard dusted off his shoulder pads and brushed down his navy blazer.  
“Yes but you know I’m not very good around people Richard.” Robert sighed as the thought of his ballroom being so... crowded made him shiver with unpleasant anxieties. Richard buttoned up his attire and made sure his crown was sitting correctly atop of his head. Robert smiled at how attentive Richard was to his every need, you could always rely on him to make sure everything was in its place.

“I think you underestimate yourself Sir.” Richard complimented as he tried his best to keep his professional words placed appropriately. He very much disliked what royalty had done to his friends self esteem. Instead of making him big headed, like it did with most of the royals they knew, it had shattered his self worth. Richard tried to remind him of positive thoughts as much as possible however too much and he would be caned for giving too much of his opinion away.  
“We shall see.” King Robert replied, dreading the upcoming event with a passion.

It had been about an hour of greeting various beautiful women and kissing hundreds of hands and Robert was exhausted. He still had about an hour to go and it was only six in the evening. All the women were perfectly pleasant and very beautiful but he never got to find out anything about them before they had to move on. How could he fall in love if he didn't even know the maidens middle name?

He slipped away to a side room for a breath of air and a sit down before facing the masses again. His break wasn't due yet but nobody would ever dare stop the king from doing anything he desired. Of course, Richard was by his side from the moment he stepped into the room.  
“How is the event going, if you don’t mind my asking Sir?” Richard cautiously asked as Robert sat down on the red velvet chair and Richard handed him a freshly poured glass of water.

“Dreadfully, if I do say so myself Richard. None of them understand me or what I want in a partner.” Robert sighed as he swirled the ice around in his cup, watching the whirls of water spin. It was the truth in its simplest form, none of them had spent more than 5 minutes with him. He knew they only wanted him so they could become a royal and that type of selfishness only put Robert off these dates more.  
“Oh dear, I’m sure you will get there Sir.” Richard comforted as he prepared to lead Robert back out on his search for his queen. Richard thought he heard the king mumble something like ‘none of them have what I want’ but he shrugged it off as a mistake and went back to serving drinks.

Part of him wished he could get in line with them, part of him damned himself to hell for thinking that and all of him knew that being a butler was all he was ever going to know. He needed to get used to living off rations and sleeping on the floor. Robert had been the most dashing young man and Richard knew every quirk, secret and story behind the king facade. In his dreams, they'd make the perfect couple and even on paper but it was merely a fantasy.

“Hello Madame Bethany, what a pleasure it is to meet you.” Robert lied for the millionth time. As much as he so desperately wanted to find a queen to help carry on his parents legacy, he couldn’t help his eyes wandering and catching eyes with others. He had been strongly warned that he was reaching the maximum age of dating nights, if he didn't find his true love soon. Well... it wasn't going to end good for him. Deep down, he had always known who he wanted, who he desired. Time was running out and Robert had decided that surely, if this is his last chance then he may as well give it a shot. It was nearing the end of the event and he couldn’t take greeting anymore people.

“Excuse me, excuse me.” Robert tapped his glass with his ring as the ballroom went silent in a second, the talking and music of the band dying down. Robert hated having all eyes on him but this was his shot and he was not going to throw it away.  
“Richard, could you make your way here please?” Robert asked and he saw a startled Richard scramble his way to Robert in haste. Robert couldn’t help but let out a little laugh and smile at the good nature of Richard.  
“I would like to declare the evening to a close, as I believe I have found my queen.” Robert declared and immediately every member of staff and woman that had been seen waited nervously for the announcement. He looked at their eyes, some he could even see them just imagining the crown on their heads already.

“I have waited patiently throughout my life to fulfil my parents legacy and marry like I have been destined to. I have spend many a night and day in deep thought about who I am really looking for to stand by my side. What I was not to realise until recently was that who I was destined to spend my life with was already by my side and had been ever since I was a young heir to the throne.” Robert paused, taking in the confused expressions filling the room before he did what he had been waiting his whole life to do.

“It’s before you all that I, Robert Patrick Bennett the fifth stand here and ask my friend, a person who I have known longer than I have seen this crown on top of my head, to take my hand in partnership and love.” Robert knelt down on one knee and the whole room gasped (one woman even fainted), to have a king bow down to you was the highest of honours in the land.

Robert only had eyes for one person as he turned to face Richard, the chandelier lighting up his golden eyes.  
“Richard Slate, will you take my hand?” Robert asked and Richard’s eyes grew wider as he sucked in a breath. His eyes caught Robert’s and he knew this was really happening. The room was silent but nobody could tell if it was in disgust or shock. Richard wondered if this was a joke and if afterwards he'd get beheaded for being in love with the king and admitting it. As he looked at Robert's beaming smile however, he knew that those words had been spoken with a lifetime of understanding and thought put behind them.  
“I would be delighted to Sir.” Richard shakily replied as Robert placed the most meaningful kiss on Richard’s hand. The way his beautiful rose red lips caressed the rough, calloused skin of Richard's hand made him feel slightly weak.

As Robert stood up, their hands now linked, one of his servants came running behind them.  
“May I declare, King Robert and... King Richard.” He paused, quite unsure of how that even happened and whether he was to speak it aloud.

“I guess I always knew you were my queen at heart.” Robert said as he embraced Richard for the first time. It felt beyond wonderful. He couldn't wait to give Richard the life he truly deserved, one filled with love, not fear. Despite the tatty holes in Richard's clothes and the unkept scruff of Richard's beard, Robert had never wanted to be closer to him than he did in that moment. All of his responsibilites melted away and in Richard's arms, he was still the Robert he always had been.

“I always was and will be at your side Sir.” Richard smiled as he could not believe his luck. In his arms was the king he had accepted his undying love for. The king he never thought he'd have for himself. And even though his clothes were not up to any decent standard and his appearance was quite a mess, Robert loved him and that meant more than any royal status could.

“Please, call me Robert. Save the sir for other celebration activities.” Robert declared with a mischievous look as the prepared to dance the night away in celebration.


	18. R- Rainy Day

Rob and Marney had planned to go to the beach for a day as they had exhaused all the trips their hotel had to offer. Rob had got up bright and early, excited to get a nice tan and finally finish his book, the cliffhanger he'd been left with had him itching to pick it up. He ripped opened the curtains and... oh, it was pouring with rain, the noise clattering against the glass.

“Babe, our day to the beach is cancelled.” He sighed as he let the curtain fall back into place. He was looking forward to a relaxed time together with his beautiful wife but now they were trapped inside. Rob was never one to let negativity impact him though and he was determined to have a good time on this holiday, god knows it had cost enough.

“I saw, I’m sure we can find something to do.” Marney replied as she brought in the warm drinks. Steam rose from the cup into Rob’s face as he sipped his coffee. She sat down next to him but left a gap between them which she had started doing lately. Rob wasn't too fussed, she liked her own space, he understood that.

“Maybe we can carry on with the scrapbook?” Rob suggested, his eyebrows raising and Marney smiled. They had decided to start it a while ago to collect together memories they might otherwise forget with their hectic schedules.

“Yeah, we’ve got so much to update.” Her eyes widened as Rob planted a kiss on her forehead.  
“That’s a good thing.” He smiled as they settled down to watch a bit of TV with their morning coffees.

After a long, lazy morning they finally dragged out their scrapbook box and started sorting through it. The floor was littered with items they had collected and carried with them  
“Remember this? You went crazy at me for this!” Rob laughed as he showed her a polaroid of the time Rob had wrapped all of the stuff in her old bedroom in tinfoil. She had completely freaked and made him unwrap everything as it was a waste. Then she had redone the prank on Rob with the same tinfoil to get him back.

“This was a picture from one of our skypes when it was my birthday!” Rob whispered to himself as he beamed, looking down at the picture. For him his day had been pretty down, he missed Marney a lot. Then she skyped him and he would never forget the joy of seeing her face. Every worry he had just disappeared the moment he saw her smiling face jolting through the unstable connection.

They started sticking in pictures and tickets and anything that reminded them of each other. Rob adored the memories and having them all together as he could always look at it when he got sad or when he was away.

“Rob.” Marney said as she watched Rob flick through polaroid’s. He was too busy muttering to himself and laughing or smiling at a thought it resurfaced. She paused and waited but he was taking a while to get through the photos.  
“Robbie?” She said again as he burst out laughing from a photobooth picture of them and their friends. He laughed until he had tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Rob?” She said louder and he paused, wiping away his tears of laughter and joy as he apologised.

“Sorry, sorry it was just, remember when-“

“I want a divorce.” Marney said simply, her voice stern. Rob paused and squinted in confusion.  
“W-What? You want a-a what now? No, I must have heard that wrong.” He began to laugh and Marney was now the confused one.

“I just thought you said, you wanted a divorce I mean come on that’s just ridiculous right,” Rob laughed as he shook his head “sorry, what did you say.” He turned to her and placed a hand on her leg.  
“I want a divorce Rob.” She said, softer this time and Rob could have pinpointed the exact point his heart broke.

“I-I....”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Twitter- @cutierobandrich  
> Tumblr- @cutierobandrich


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